Saturday 26 October 2013

Birdingbury residents have organised a community meeting. This will be at 8pm in the Village Hall on Wednesday 6th November, it is scheduled to last around an hour. We will be doing a UCG specific presentation with a focus on the plan for Warwickshire.

On the subject of community and public meetings - Until the County wide umbrella organisation is finalised, if you live in the license zone (or anywhere outside it actually) and you wish to have your own community meeting - can you let us know if you are intending to arrange something on any particular date? This way we can let you know if it clashes with other events and avoids them competing. Besides, we may be able to help you arrange and promote it, help with materials and assist with Questions and Answer's.

Here is a message from Gas Field Free Leamington:

Plan to write to your councillor this weekend ? Here's a list of UCG risks to help ...

Safety
Irreversible pollution of the aquifer and waterways
Uncontrolled underground coal fires...
Subsidence and seismic activity
Methane gas escape (potent greenhouse gas) & increased carbon emissions
Toxic spills on the land – accidents and lapses in controls happen
Surface and subterranean explosions
Air pollution with associated health risks

Countryside
Natural habitat destruction
Massive infrastructure development of the land, including a chemical or power plant
Increase in heavy traffic
Light, noise and odour pollution
Devalues homes

Legacy
Underground fires can burn for decades
Wells last 'forever'. Many fail and leak poisons as they decay.
Health impact on residents can occur over the long term
 

Thursday 24 October 2013

We have a project coming up but may need some assistance. If there is anybody that lives in Eathorpe that might be willing to help us we would be thrilled to hear from you as soon as possible. Please email us at noucgwarks@gmail.com Full details published here very soon so please do check back in.

This week it has been announced that amongst other projects, of which 24 are shrouded in secrecy for commercial reasons. The Government has agreed to underwrite the cost of UCG company FiveQuarter Energy's gas plant in the 'desolate' North East should it not attract the required investment. This means, they have been gifted some of the nations coal reserves and will operate a plant, for profit, for which we will have paid. During these dark days of austerity, does it seem slightly crazy that this Government will support this dirty, dangerous and experimental UCG by using our money in this way? As has been pointed out on Facebook, the renewable projects are and should be commended, which makes it all the more tragic that a UCG project should be bundled quietly along with them. The majority of the Directors of FiveQuarter energy are academics from Newcastle University who have wrote many pro-UCG papers but critically lack the experimental data and only have theory for the most part. One must assume that FiveQuarters UCG projects will provide them the experimental data they crave, as well as a significant cash lump sum if they sell the projects to commercial developers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24621385


It is also worth pointing out that massive UK landowner, the Duke of Buccleuch own a 5% stake in Five Quarter and have expressed an interest in cashing in on the dash for gas. Chiefly by allowing unconventional gas operations on their land. If you are aware of any land owned locally by the Dukes estate, then of course we would be happy to hear from you.

Also this week, news that French energy firm EDF have bailed out the Governments ambition to build the new nuclear power plant at Hinkley point by Chinese contractors. This is another one of those magical plans that politicians claim will lower energy bills. They decline to mention that the plant will not come online for at least another 10 years by which time current energy prices will already have doubled.. at least.
Today it has been anounced that another French company GdF Suez (merged Gaz de France with Suez - who also own Sita waste have taken a stake in UK fracking prospectors Dart Energys UK licenses. Dart now has the capital available to execute its UK licenses, alongside its Scottish operations it is also exploring the Marches and South Wales.
We already know that British Gas owners Centrica have a large stake in infamous frackers Cuadrilla, now GdF Suez have joined the club by taking a stake in one of the other major UK frackers. Igas and Shale Gas plc have also been looking for investment.

http://www.proactiveinvestors.com.au/companies/news/49349/dart-energy-farms-out-uk-shale-and-coal-seam-gas-licences-to-gdf-suez-49349.html

Topical this week with all the coverage about energy prices, and especially if your concerned about any of the extreme energy so called unconventional gas methods and policies then please do consider 'unfracking yourself', the major energy providers are involved and I highly recommend considering switching suppliers - in fact it could be your first step. This site :
http://unfrack.me/ is very good.
The big 6 do not neccessarily mean the cheapest or reliable 6, I have switched to a supplier not in the big 6 committed to investing 100% into renewables, which is where it sources 100% of the energy it currently sells. they have also just improved their guarantee of matching big 6 prices by promising to be consistently cheaper. If you do switch please do feedback to your traditional supplier why you decided to do so.

Just in today, and as usual the headlines are always about Fracking and not often enough about the 'nuclear option' of UCG. The National Trust talks to The Times about its land and policy to unconventional gas. Please do contact them if you are a member and let them know your opinion.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/environment/article3902868.ece

As always please do continue to share our petition, it has come alive again recently due to people informing others of it. If we all continue to do so it will only get bigger.

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/NoUCGWarks

Many thanks to Chuck in the USA who agreed to modify the Warwickshire coat of arms into a banner / group logo. The latin remains from the original - Non Sanz Droict - Not Wthout Right. The bear chained to the ragged staff has been changed bear and a drill derrick from which the bear has broken its bonds.



Tuesday 22 October 2013

As you may be aware, Warwickshire County Council is writing a new Minerals planning policy. This of course is the focus of our petition at http://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/NoUCGWarks.
The current out of date policy does not deal with unconventional gas because at the time of preparing it, it was not considered likely that anybody would approach them to conduct it. Fast forward to 2013 and here we are with an out of date wholly inappropiate policy.
 At the Leamington meeting, a rather hostile man in the audience tackled me about 'fracking' in Warwickshire not being an issue as there is 'no shale in Warwickshire'. Well thats not actually true..

'Of the main potentially prospective shale gas rocks, none are present in Warwickshire in thicknesses or depths that would be expected to be commercially viable'
 Ed Hough, Geologist at British Geological Survey.

15 years ago, nobody would expect that a company would be proposing to exploit unmineable coal under Warwickshire by setting it on fire, so how about 15 years from now in the future??
 To suggest that fracking or CBM is not a threat here is both foolish and arrogant. If government policy continues as it is into the future it is not difficult to imagine that ALL and ANY exploitable gas resources will become fair game. In any case, who is to say that it will not be commercially viable even 5 years from now.
 Warwickshire County Council are well placed to write the best achievable Minerals policy that covers all of the so called unconventional gas and oil technologies. Indeed, now armed with advance warning of this UCG threat and residents concerns we believe it is there duty to do so.
Please do sign and share our petition.

Monday 21 October 2013

Update on local affairs

It has been a while since any blog posts have appeared, apologies for that.
To those that do not use social media sites it must seem like we have vanished into thin air, nothing can be further from the truth. We have remained busy locally on a number of fact finding and other initiatives.
It is a promise that from this day forward (until a better website is in place) that important local information that would get posted on social media will also be reproduced here on this blog. We are fully aware that many do not use Facebook etc and that this blog is perhaps the best vehicle to keep people informed.
Facebook is quick and helpful in building social contacts but will never reach all the people that we hope too in this particular scenario.

So.... what has been happening locally?
Firstly, as a result of the first Warwickshire meeting held in Rugby in September- two new groups have been founded. Significantly the historic Spa town Leamington which is just a stone throw to the West of the proposed license zone has formed 'Gas Field Free Leamington' and held its first public meeting last week. Additionally a group 'GasFieldFree Rugby' has also been founded. Both groups can be found on social media.
Between us we are supporting people who have expressed an interest in forming their own groups within their own communities.
We will, in future, have an Umbrella parent group that represents all the local groups as they emerge.
To compliment this we will be launching a website as a resource for all. Stand by for further news on this.

The Leamington meeting was a good useful launching night for the new Leamington group, attracting plenty of media interest. Many thanks to the organisers for all the hard work and time in putting an event like that on and finding time to speak with the media, its harder than it looks!
Gas Field Free Leamington have produced some postcards which can be smply filled out and mailed to your Councillor expressing your concerns about the potential for UCG here. I know they have many so please contact them directly if you can help distribute any.

The most significant thing to report in regard to the Cluff license bid is that Councillors in Warwickshire have begun organising 'educational' seminars on UCG. Recently one was held at Shire Hall in Warwick where a representative of The Coal Authority explained the UCG process, it was also indicated that it was LIKELY THAT THE LICENSE WOULD BE ISSUED, PERHAPS AS EARLY AS CHRISTMAS, it was also indicated that any future commercial UCG operation MAY be for the purpose of producing gas as a chemical feedstock for industry and not as a fuel for any power station.
The council were also given a presentation on the entire licensing / permit process right up to planning application and beyond.
The minerals policy currently being written by the Council and which will be published and become effective next year is clearly critical. Many people will be hoping and expecting that an appropiate policy will be constructed that makes life difficult for the gas developers in future. Not just this UCG plan but ANY potential threat in future.

To that end please support our petition by signing and sharing as widely as possible so that we may deliver it to the council in good time. The petition can be found on the following link:

http://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/NoUCGWarks

It is unclear at this time if the Council intend to hold more of these seminars, we would certainly hope so to give them the best grounding in this insidious technology.

We would like to reiterate our offer of assisting with local meetings, so if you think your  community deserves one and you want some help setting it up, please DO CONTACT US. We are only to happy to help, we can help arrange speakers if needed and/or do it ourselves. We would like to focus now on UCG specifically and where we are with it locally and most importantly what we might do about it, rather than just discussing the bigger picture nationally which includes the 'frack' word and CBM (coal bed methane). Do not wait for somebody else to do it, where nobody does. If you want one, tell us and we will help. This thing is creeping up and although we were fortunate to have been alerted early it does not mean we can afford to waste time waiting to see if the license is granted or not. It is far better to take the precautionary approach and assume this threat is real.

Thats all for now, keep an eye out for future updates as this blog will now be used much more regularly.








Saturday 14 September 2013

Diagram How Shale Extraction Can Contaminate Water


Methane in UK groundwater research overview

Thanks To http://www.bgs.ac.uk

House destroyed by methane explosion at Loscoe

This article was written by the The British Geological Survey, which is a part of the Natural Environment Research Council (
NERC) and is its principal supplier of national capability in geoscience. They have some concerns over ground water and shale gas extraction. They have several good articles please browse their site.
Shale Gas and Ground Water
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/groundwater/shaleGas/home.html
iHydrogeology, Shale Gas Source Rocks and Aquifers
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/groundwater/shalegas/iHydrogeology.html
Shale Gas FAQ's
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/groundwater/shalegas/faq.html
New Shale Gas Resource Figures - Central England
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/energy/shalegas/#ad-image-0

Methane in UK groundwater research overview


Methane (CH
4) is an important greenhouse gas and a common trace component of groundwater.
We are currently undertaking a national survey of baseline methane concentrations in groundwaters across the UK. This work will enable future changes to be measured, which is of relevance to current issues such as possible shale gas extraction.
The BGS has been studying methane in UK groundwaters since the 1980s to investigate:

Groundwater methane contribution to total atmospheric emissions

Using baseline methane concentrations for the main groundwater supply aquifers in the UK, Gooddy and Darling (2005) estimated that water supply groundwater sources contribute only 0.05 per cent to total UK methane emissions (up to 3.3 x 10-4 Tg/year).
In terms of a global budget, the groundwater methane input was estimated to be two orders of magnitude smaller.

How does methane get into groundwater?

Methane in groundwater is derived from two main sources:
  • biogenic methane, which is bacterially produced, and is often associated with shallow anaerobic groundwater environments, such as peat bogs, wetlands, lake sediments and landfills, although it is detectable in nearly all groundwater.
  • thermogenic methane, which is formed during thermal decomposition of organic matter at depth under high pressures, and is often associated with coal, oil and gas fields.
In the UK most methane in groundwater is likely to be biogenic in origin, although thermogenic contributions may be locally important where gases have migrated from depth or there is slow release from previously deeply buried, low permeability, organic-rich rocks.
Dissolved gas and stable isotope analysis of groundwater samples can be used to identify the different sources and potential origin of methane.

Baseline concentrations in UK groundwaters

Sampling dissolved gases in groundwater with an evacuated flask.
Understanding the 'baseline' concentrations of methane in UK groundwaters can help us to assess future methane survey or incident data.
Measurements of potable waters from the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic carbonate and sandstone aquifers reveal methane concentrations of up to 500 µg l-1 but a mean value of < 10 µg l-1.
Aquiclude and thermal waters from the Carboniferous and Triassic have concentrations in excess of 1500 µg l-1 (Darling and Gooddy, 2006).
BGS scientists are building on our previous work and surveying methane concentrations (and other chemical parameters) in groundwater in a range of UK aquifers.

When does methane become explosive and create a potential safety hazard?

Methane becomes an explosive hazard at concentrations of 5–15% by volume in air.
Assuming complete outgassing from water, this requires a minimum dissolved methane concentration of 1600 µg l-1.
This figure is considerably above the general methane baseline (see above), but concentrations of up to ten times higher have been found in tunnels drilled in organic-rich shales.

Contact

Contact Dr George Darling for further information

Wednesday 11 September 2013

URGENT !

URGENT ACTION.
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR MEP.

WHAT THIS VOTE IS ABOUT & WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO *
This coming Wednesday, September 11, the plenary vote on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) takes place at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The report being voted on contains two really important amendments - 31 and 79 (point e) - that we need a majority of MEPs to support if we are to make it very difficult for the frackers to operate ...in Europe. These amendments call for mandatory Environmental Impact Assessments to be carried out for BOTH the exploration and production phases of ALL unconventional fossil fuel projects.
You can read these two amendments at http://frackingfreeireland.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Microsoft-Word-Zanoni-report-Post-ENVI-Vote_A7-0277_2013_EN.pdf
Please write to your MEP today requesting they support these amendments and follow up with a phone call if you can. If you would like a template letter to send to your MEP and his/her contact details, please email me at gring@ulb.ac.be.
Remember that a requirement for mandatory EIAs in Austria sent the frackers packing. We can do the same across Europe if these amendments pass.
There has been HUGE lobbying by industry to oppose these amendments, as mandatory EIAs represent additional delay and, as a consequence, additional cost, for the industry.
If we make our voices heard, we can win this! We won Round 1 at the Committee stage in July so let's repeat that victory and beat the frackers!

Friday 6 September 2013

Step By Step Process of UCG Licensing From The Coal Authority.

We have contacted the Coal Authority for a clear step by step guide to UCG Licences.

We now have a clear structure to how things work, What we need to now do is follow up on each step and learn the regulations. For example in the letter below they say

 Environmental Impact Assessments will be part of the planning application  process whilst environmentalconsents and the monitoring of these will  be regulated by the Environment Agency
But this doesn't actually state who is doing the Environmental Impact Assessments, nor what the regulations are, only who regulates them. We want a guide that clear labels who is doing what. So we will follow up on questions raise and produce a very comprehensive guide.


You can view application and 
guidance notes here


THE COAL AUTHORITY

GUIDANCE NOTES FOR APPLICANTS
FOR UNDERGROUND COAL GASIFICATION LICENCES
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B943idfX2vSSNnh2Q2R0WjUzUk0/edit?usp=sharing

Dear No UCG Warks,

I refer to your enquiry and attach the Coal Authority
s guidance notes for applicants for underground coal gasificationlicences for your information.  You should note the following :-

· All licences for underground coal gasification granted by the Coal Authority to date are conditional.

· A conditional licence allows the licensee to evaluate an underground coal gasification project in an area for an initial conditional period of normally 3-5 years (maximum 8) which can only be extended if the licensee can demonstrate substantive progress on the project.

· A licence is for underground coal gasification only which is regulated by the Coal Authority and does not involve any fracking.  A Coal Authority licence does not permit shale gas or any other conventional oil and gas extraction.

· With a conditional licence no underground coal gasification operations can take place until the licensee has satisfied the pre-conditions set out in the licence which include the acquisition of all the other necessary rights and permissions to carry out the operations.  These include planning consent; environmental permission and the consent of the Health & Safety Executive.  The licensee will also have to secure the consent of a landowner for any surface installation and satisfy the Authority that the finance is in place to carry out the operations.

· Exploration is permitted under an associated exploration licence granted by the Authority but once again this is dependent on other rights being in place. Before any exploration operations take place the licensee has to secure a supplemental exploration agreement from the Authority when site specific issues are addressed and the licensee has to demonstrate that all the other rights to sink the borehole(s) are in place.  These rights include any environmental and Health and Safety consents.

· 
 In terms of responsibilities :-

Planning permission is the responsibility of the local planning authority.  If they refuse planning consent then an appeal can be made under planning regulations and this can result in a public inquiry held by the planning inspectorate.

The safety of any operation is regulated by the Health and Safety Executive

 Environmental Impact Assessments will be part of the planning application process whilst environmentalconsents and the monitoring of these will be regulated by the Environment Agency

The closure of wells will be addressed under the Coal Authority Licence and Lease, the planning consent and the borehole regulations of the HSE.

o
Site restoration will be a matter for the
 operator and the surface landowner and regulated by the planning authority.
I hope that this answers your query?

Regards
Simon Cooke


Picture (Device Independent Bitmap)
   
Simon Cooke
Principal Manager Licensing & Permissions

The Greens - European Free Alliance - Fracking Talk

The Greens - EFA

Long but worth a watch excellent talk on risks of fracking and extreme energy.

Sunday 1 September 2013

Naughty boy receives coal (at our expense) | openDemocracy

The government is giving away the rights to up to a billion tonnes of coal to a company owned by an ex-Conservative party fundraiser. Rather than filling his pockets, couldn't this revenue source be used for the public good?
Flickr/oatsy40. Some rights reserved.
The coalition government is providing a former Conservative Party fundraiser’s new company with licences which secure his company the rights and interests to billions of tons of the nation’s coal for UCG processing. UCG stands for underground coal gasification – a process to drill wells to set fire to coal underground and extract the gas by-products – both onshore and offshore. 
Official reports in 2009, 2011 and 2012 on UCG pilot studies in India, America and Australia resulted in major water contamination with highly toxic carcinogenic chemicals, Benzene and Toluene, (contamination which one private company covered up for 2 months) and the EU trial ending in disaster when they could not control the technology resulting in an explosion and the trial being abandoned. Just a few weeks ago an independent scientific panel in Queensland advised the state government against the development of a UCG industry until the firms involved can demonstrate the ability to put out the underground coal fires the process creates.

Algy Cluff, the founder of one of the companies recently handed multiple UCG licenses for both onshore and offshore by the Department of Energy & Climate Change, actually stated last week the technology is not proven offshore . Yet, he is about to embark on a UCG offshore test in Scotland. And when we say offshore, this does not mean the North Sea – the test is to be carried out in the Firth of Forth.
UCG licenses are also being issued for the Thames Estuary, Swansea Bay, the Dee Estuary and the Humber Estuary – as well as the North and Irish seas - when the technology still poses risks of major contamination with UCG carcinogenic chemicals as well as explosions and subsidence.
Onshore licences have also been made available for Warwickshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Cumbria and Lincolnshire with Algy Cluff claiming the technology was "proven onshore” – despite the Queensland decision.
The people of Warwickshire and Fife are up in arms as they have only just found out about Algy Cluff’s plans to burn billions of tonnes of coal underground in their area to extract gas. So who exactly is Algy Cluff and what experience does he have in UCG?
Algy Cluff made a fortune in North Sea oil in the 1970s and has been....

Continue reading Mel Kelly's article here, a brilliant read!

Naughty boy receives coal (at our expense) | openDemocracy

Saturday 31 August 2013

Dont Believe The Hype, Proof They Haven't Been Fracking For Decades!

DECC confirms that high volume, horizontal hydraulic fracturing has NOT been going on for decades in the UK.

It has happened ONCE - in Lancs - when it triggered earth tremors.
This exposes the misinformation we are given by Peter Lilley, Peter Styles, et al - who erroneously cite the Royal Society etc., and whom you now can see for yourselves are speaking with forked tongue. (Listen here for Lilley's version) https://soundcloud.com/graeme-mackie-1/vine-lilley_bbc5live_16-8

Regarding these industry invested ministers' and frackadaemics' reprehensible public claims of there having been 200 UK fracked wells according to the Royal Society...

The Royal Society said:

“The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering working group received this number from evidence taken from government officials."

DECC said:

"we believe that at least 200 did have hydraulic fracturing treatments of some kind, but we would emphasise that these non-shale fracs are not comparable, in the volumes of fluid employed, to Cuadrilla’s operations at Preese Hall in 2011 – the non-shale fracs are much smaller."

www.refracktion.com/index.php/blog/

https://www.facebook.com/FrackFreeSussex
 

So Just Who Benefits Fracking the UK?

Royals, Aristocrats Seek Big Gains From Fracking In UK


The British government wants to be “a leader of the shale gas revolution” and is offering massive tax breaks to the industry, despite its devastating ecological impacts, especially to groundwater. While nationwide opposition to fracking is growing in Britain, the conflict currently focuses around the small town of Balcombe, 30 miles south of London, where exploratory digging is being blocked by the Balcombe protection camp.
Within the British mainstream media, there have been articles explaining the links between big oil, the government and the dangers of fracking. For instance, it is known that the government’s lead business adviser, Lord Browne, is chairman of Cuadrilla, the fracking company operating in Balcombe.
However, the lords’ and aristocratic landowners’ role has been mainly neglected in the national debate — and for a comprehensive discussion about who stands to gain from fracking in England, it’s crucial to highlight that the potential ‘winners’ include the Lords of the Manor and Queen Elizabeth. She is, after all, the country’s biggest landowner.
fracking_1

Successes for the Growing Opposition to Fracking

In late July, Cuadrilla attempted to initiate exploration work at Balcombe, with the aim of rolling out fracking operations across the area. But the company was met by local residents who halted work, blocking the gate. As a result, all vehicles and machinery required a massive police operation to get through. The opposition continued and Balcombe protection camp was soon initiated, uniting locals and concerned citizens.
The protests appear to be already having an impact, as Cuadrilla announced on Friday, August 16, that it would scale back its exploratory work. The decision was likely due in part to Reclaim the Power, a pro-environment event that moved to Balcombe to show solidarity against fracking. In reality, however, the company’s promise may represent a pause rather than a termination of its plans.
Balcombe is part of England’s traditional Conservative heartland, yet a door to door survey reported by the BBC showed 85% of residents here oppose plans to frack. The government’s push for the industry has caused disquiet within the Conservative Party; the Financial Times reported that a senior Conservative MP has warned the Prime Minister that his support for fracking is not just angering Balcombe, but large constituencies who traditionally vote Conservative.
Yet one element of traditional support for the Conservatives – small in number although powerful in terms of property ownership – are currently key players in supporting the government’s plans to frack: the landed gentry.
aptopix_britain_royal_cala1

Hereditary Privilege Enables a British Aristocrat to Push Fracking in Balcombe

Simon Greenwood owns the Balcombe estate. He sold Cuadrilla the rights to frack these lands and will gain from any gas that is extracted. Greenwood has the opportunity to lease 3,500 acres of Sussex which he inherited from his parents, who were gifted it as a dowry on their wedding day. The whole estate has been in Greenwood’s family’s possession tracing back to his great grandfather, the first Lord Cowdray, who was awarded the land title due to his success as an oil magnate and his engineering firm that profited making war munitions during the First World War.
The Cowdray Estate website shows how Lord Cowdray bought the estate from other members of the nobility. Its former owners include the Earls of Egmont and before them the Viscount Montagues. If you trace the history back over nine centuries you find that Henry I, in 1103, gave this land to Savoric fitz Cana from Normandy.
The legitimacy of ownership of such large pieces of Britain is questionable by any Lord, Viscount or Earl. In this case its basis is a gift from an 11th century king to a member of the Norman nobility. The historic inequality is now connecting to the 21st century, and being amplified, as the power passed down through nobility has granted Greenwood the chance to profit from fracking despite its impact and broad opposition.
The investigative journal Private Eye has published an explanation of Greenwood’s hereditary claim going back as far as the early 20th century. It explains that Greenwood was himself the local government official who allowed the planning application for fracking on his land to go ahead. This was underhand and potentially illegal in two senses: Greenwood did not open the matter up for discussion within the council, and failed to state his conflict of interest.
anti-fracking-protesters-greet-david-cameron-in-wigan-2142316

Across Britain, “Lords of the Manor” and the Royal Family Could Gain from Fracking

This vested interest in fracking goes to the very top of the “old power” structure. Britain’s sovereign — and the world’s largest — landowner, Queen Elizabeth, is set for massive financial gain from fracking. She is among many other landowners whose claim to the land dates back to the age of Lords and Serfdom.
Last year, Reuters reported that Queen Elizabeth owns more than 50,000 acres of land with mineral rights, which fracking companies will have to pay if they want to frack. These Lord of the Manor rights mean that the Queen, like all historic aristocratic landowners, have the mineral rights to the lands she holds. (The northwest county of Lancaster was the location of Cuadrilla’s first explorations for fracking, which were halted when they resulted in earthquakes.) Lord of the Manor rights also mean that landowners can claim revenue on lands they used to hold, too.
Old money – belonging to the royal family and aristocracy of Britain – is frequently ignored by today’s social justice activism campaigns. Instead, campaigns and direct actions focus on new money, ie. corporations and the government, because this new money is seen as the most destructive and influential.
But if the aristocracy and royal family continue to support — and if they aim to benefit from — fracking, it may be worth focusing more attention on the concentration of land ownership to understand how old money holds the power to frack us all.
On a global level, as part of the campaign against fracking, tar sands and other destructive industrial expansions, environmentalists and social justice campaigners now have an opportunity to broaden the debate about property ownership. It seems a crucial point: to scrutinize the historic reasons why the 1% claim to own so much of the world, and with it, their claim to the right to profit from its destruction.

Fracking: Extreme Energy, Extreme Desperation

A short presentation on various extreme energy projects that could threaten Warwickshire in the near future.


Thursday 29 August 2013

Now Browne has revealed his cards: Riverstone Energy will be the frackers' new - publicly financed - banker.

Frack Off Facebook post offers great insight into the kind of people and tactics we are up against.

  • As befits the UK's head of fracking, Cuadrilla boss and government employee Lord Browne is busy raising cash to finance an unconventional gas boom across the UK.

    With more than 60% of the country set to be drilled, Browne has recognised there is a problem: this is going to cost rather a lot of money. Of course you can make money from providing finance to people, and to both benefit from the lending, investing - as well as the drilling - Browne has recently launched a new venture: Riverstone Energy (RE). http://frack-off.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/FT-riverstone.pdf

    The drive to industrialise the UK countryside for new forms of gas is going to need lots of up-front cash to pay for licenses and equipment. And you only get a payback after you've spent a ton of dosh in the first place: Cuadrilla, for example, have so far spent more than 100m, are 2.5 years behind schedule and have precious little to show for it. 

    Other UK drillers are similarly struggling. Scots driller Dart Energy is desperately selling anything it owns to stay afloat after the Airth community blocked its drilling plans. West Country driller UK Methane similarly recently lost an investment deal (apparently due to 'contractual differences'); even the UK government's Enterprise Finance Guarantee appears to be pulling out of all things fracking http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/company-news/loan-removal-forces-fracking-patent-sale.21955773

    Enter Browne. RE is to raise at least £500m to remedy this lackhttp://frack-off.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/FT-riverstone.pdf . That could well be an underestimate. The last Riverstone fund (portentously named Riverstone Global Energy and Power Fund V) raised more than $7bn.

    The Financial Times reckons that RE is to be floated on the stock market so that the likes of pension funds and individual investors can put their money in. Investment bankers Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan are said to be preparing the groundwork for a public launch.

    Yet with extensive contacts in finance and a history of raising money through 'private equity' (i.e. large institutions and wealthy individuals), why is Browne considering going to the stock market, with its associated high cost and heavy regulatory burden?

    The fracking Czar is attempting something very subtle here. By offering city institutions and individuals a chance to invest in fracking and its associated technologies, Browne is attempting to build public support behind his gas schemes. At present the City and the public won't benefit at all from the UK's fracking mania. If they can invest in it, Browne is thinking, then it's more likely they'll throw their support behind it.

    As the befits the man who sits on the fracking throne, Browne last month announced he'd invest 'whatever it takes' to get Cuadrilla drilling. That was perhaps a little blunt. Now Browne has revealed his cards: Riverstone Energy will be the frackers' new - publicly financed - banker.
    As befits the UK's head of fracking, Cuadrilla boss and government employee Lord Browne is busy raising cash to finance an unconventional gas boom across the UK. 

With more than 60% of the country set to be drilled, Browne has recognised there is a problem: this is going to cost rather a lot of money. Of course you can make money from providing finance to people, and to both benefit from the lending, investing - as well as the drilling - Browne has recently launched a new venture: Riverstone Energy (RE). http://frack-off.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/FT-riverstone.pdf

The drive to industrialise the UK countryside for new forms of gas is going to need lots of up-front cash to pay for licenses and equipment. And you only get a payback after you've spent a ton of dosh in the first place: Cuadrilla, for example, have so far spent more than 100m, are 2.5 years behind schedule and have precious little to show for it. 

Other UK drillers are similarly struggling. Scots driller Dart Energy is desperately selling anything it owns to stay afloat after the Airth community blocked its drilling plans. West Country driller UK Methane similarly recently lost an investment deal (apparently due to 'contractual differences'); even the UK government's Enterprise Finance Guarantee appears to be pulling out of all things fracking http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/company-news/loan-removal-forces-fracking-patent-sale.21955773 

Enter Browne. RE is to raise at least £500m to remedy this lack http://frack-off.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/FT-riverstone.pdf . That could well be an underestimate. The last Riverstone fund (portentously named Riverstone Global Energy and Power Fund V) raised more than $7bn.

The Financial Times reckons that RE is to be floated on the stock market so that the likes of pension funds and individual investors can put their money in. Investment bankers Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan are said to be preparing the groundwork for a public launch. 

Yet with extensive contacts in finance and a history of raising money through 'private equity' (i.e. large institutions and wealthy individuals), why is Browne considering going to the stock market, with its associated high cost and heavy regulatory burden? 

The fracking Czar is attempting something very subtle here. By offering city institutions and individuals a chance to invest in fracking and its associated technologies, Browne is attempting to build public support behind his gas schemes. At present the City and the public won't benefit at all from the UK's fracking mania. If they can invest in it, Browne is thinking, then it's more likely they'll throw their support behind it.

As the befits the man who sits on the fracking throne, Browne last month announced he'd invest 'whatever it takes' to get Cuadrilla drilling. That was perhaps a little blunt. Now Browne has revealed his cards: Riverstone Energy will be the frackers' new - publicly financed - banker.

Saturday 24 August 2013

OUR PETITION - BAN ALL EXTREME ENERGY - UNCONVENTIONAL GAS EXTRACTION IN WARWICKSHIRE.

BAN ALL EXTREME ENERGY - UNCONVENTIONAL GAS EXTRACTION IN WARWICKSHIRE.

TO: WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

SIGN HERE: http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ban-all-extreme-energy-unconventional-gas-extraction-in-warwickshire

In the forthcoming minerals policy of Warwickshire County Council, We the people - Respectfully request that the council make specific and immediate provisions which DO NOT PERMIT any of the 'extreme energy' unconventional gas operations to occur in Warwickshire. Specifically - Underground Coal Gasification (UCG), Coal Bed Methane (CBM) and Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking).

Why is this important?

1. The industrialisation of our countryside is unacceptable.
2. All of the 'unconventionals' represent a direct threat to the environment, through:
a: Irreversible pollution of the aquifer.
b:Toxic legacy for the future.
c: Subsidence and Seismic activity.
d: Methane gas escape (potent greenhouse gas).
e: Surface and subterranean explosions.
f: Uncontrolled underground coal fires.
g: Massive infrastructure development of the land.
h: Increase in heavy traffic.
i: Increase in noise, light and odour pollution.
j: Pollution of waterways.
k: Toxic spills on the land.

Extreme Energy will not create local jobs, neither will it reduce our energy bills.
It will devalue our homes and scar the countryside.
Despite industry claims, none of the techniques are 'established' or 'safe'.
Carbon capture storage, as planned in the case of UCG is a new, untested and unproven technology. CCS would be experimental here. CCS would require continual monitoring for hundreds of years to check for CO2 escape.
All well casings DO fail eventually and accidents DO happen.
Increased use of fossil fuels should not be pursued as an energy strategy.
We wish to preserve our way of life, our beautiful countryside and we wish our legacy to our children and grandchildren to be a clean, unspoilt future not an industrialised toxic wasteland. We must protect and preserve our natural water resource.
Ban ALL unconventional gas and coal exploitation in Warwickshire.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Is fracking all we have to worry about?

Great article mentioning Warwickshires plight!

As demonstrations grow against “fracking” in the UK, another controversial gas extraction method has quietly been licensed. Underground Coal Gasification, or UCG, is the drilling of wells to set fire to underground coal seams and the channelling of the mixture of gas by-products including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and large volumes of carbon dioxide up to the surface.
Two well heads are required in the UCG process, one to inject air or oxygen down to the coal chamber and another to extract the resulting mix of gases produced by burning the coal underground. Water taken either from the surface, or from below the ground is also required for the UCG process (over and above the water private companies already want to use for “fracking”). Once the gas runs out in the initial well location, the well heads are moved to follow the coal seam. This process leaves behind underground caverns contaminated with toxic waste, as well as scarring the countryside further as the wellheads creep along.

Continue Reading, http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/mel-kelly/is-fracking-all-we-have-to-worry-about
Article by Mel Kelly

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Balcombe Solidarity Sunday

RECLAIM THE POWER!

THANKS TO FRACKFREE CLEVELAND WE MANAGED TO SECURE A LIFT TO BALCOMBE. WE REALLY OWE THEM AND THE NEWCASTLE CREW A HUGE THANK-YOU, NOT ONLY FOR THE RIDE BUT THEIR HOSPITALITY AT CAMP.

THE CAMP ITSELF WAS SITUATED QUITE A WALK FROM THE ROADSIDE PROTEST, BUT ITS HARD TO FIND SPACE FOR SUCH A LARGE WELL EQUIPPED CAMP. ON ARRIVING WE WERE WELCOMED, GIVEN A CAMP GUIDE AND SHOWN THE BASIC LAYOUT. AFTER THAT WE HEADED TO THE BLUE CAMP TO SET UP TENTS AND LISTEN TO CHRIS PLAYING HIS MANDOLIN. WE WERE QUICKLY JOINED BY A BANJO PLAYER SEEKING A QUICK LESSON. SPIRITS WHERE HIGH AND THE CAMP AMAZING.

LATER THAT EVENING WE HAD A BITE AT THEIR LOVELY KITCHENS AND HEADED TO THE MAIN TENT TO LISTEN TO SOME SPEAKERS. THEY SPOKE ABOUT CAMP ETIQUETTE, THE HISTORY OF PEOPLE INVOLVED AND A SCIENTIST SPOKE ABOUT THE DEVASTATING EFFECT OF FRACKING. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY SOME LIVE MUSIC AND DANCING.

THE NEXT DAY WE ATTENDED SOME OF THE WORKSHOPS AND INFORMATION TENTS ON MEDIA, CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE  LEGAL ADVICE ETC. THE CAMP WAS WELL STRUCTURED WITH SOLAR POWER, PLENTY OF COMPOST TOILETS, SHOWERS AND THE FAMILY FACILITIES WERE SECOND TO NONE. THEY HAD SECURED THE CHILDRENS PLAY AREA AND FAMILY CAMPING AREA AS A SAFE ZONE IN ANY RAIDS. THEY WERE NO GO AREAS FOR THE POLICE AND HAD SO MUCH FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES TO DO.

THE MARCH ITSELF WAS FANTASTIC, SPIRITS WHERE HIGH. PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE NATION UNITED IN TELLING THE GOVERNMENT AND ENERGY COMPANIES TO "FRACK OFF". THE PENTACLE DRUMMERS WERE AMAZING, THEY KEPT THE PARTY MOVING FOR HOURS AND REALLY ADDED TO THE ATMOSPHERE. IT WAS A GREAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY SPIRIT, BALCOMBE VILLAGERS WERE KEEN TO SHOW THEY DID SUPPORT PROTEST, AS DID PEOPLE FROM THE "DESOLATE NORTH" AND ALL OTHER COMMUNITIES EFFECTED BY FRACKING AND EXTREME ENERGY. THE MARCH WAS FOLLOWED BY SOME MORE GREAT SPEAKERS, THE WHOLE MARCH WAS PEACEFUL AND FULL OF DANCING AND MERRIMENT.

THIS WHOLE BALCOMBE MESS HAS PROVED ONE THING, WHO THE THUGS AND INSTIGATORS ARE AND IT IS NOT THE PROTESTERS. ITS THE VERY PEOPLE WE EMPLOY OUR GOVERNMENT, THEY ARE USING CHEAP TACTICS AND LYING TO TO US TO MAKE MONEY FOR THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES. THEY ARE USING THE POLICE AS THUGS FOR HIRE TO PROTECT THEIR PERSONAL INTERESTS!